PONS ASINORUM

Welcome to the bridge of asses.

The pons asinorum is a theorem of Euclid’s Elements. The angles opposite the equal sides of an isosceles triangle are themselves equal. The converse is also true. If two angles of a triangle are equal, then the sides opposite them are also equal.

This theorem is the first real test of intelligence in the Elements. It is a bridge of critical thinking that leads way to solving more difficult postulates.

Do not let that opener confuse you—I am no mathematician. I stumbled upon this term in a C.S. Lewis philosophy class. But I fell in love with the metaphor—a gateway of awareness. A cognitive snowballing. A seismic wave of unearthing corollaries each resounding with a crisp ah-ha!

And the cost of entry? Critical thinking.

We all have knowledge gaps, false beliefs, and biases. As I move through my 30s I am only just beginning to live by values like presence and curiosity. I may never be able to escape the human condition of conjecture, but perhaps I can widen the scope of my lens a bit.

The only way over is through. I invite you to read along as I write my way across.

-DS